If you’re like most people in Colorado Springs, you’re thinking the city is a year away from a pivotal moment — the 2015 mayoral election. We’ll have the first round of voting next April, likely narrowing the field to a runoff. Unless the landscape changes dramatically, Mayor Steve Bach will be seeking a second four-year… Continue Reading Stormwater may turn into early city election

Larry Small, the articulate former Colorado Springs vice mayor, defines as well as anyone the problem of asking voters to pass judgment on paying for stormwater projects. “Stormwater funding is always a hard thing to sell,” Small said. “And if it fails, it’s not the kind of thing that you can bring right back… Continue Reading City, task force take separate stormwater paths

It’s hard to know what to make of the latest flare-up between Mayor Steve Bach and five of the nine members of City Council. In a letter to Bach signed by Council President Keith King, Joel Miller, Andy Pico, Helen Collins and Don Knight, the five declared their opposition to any “local public funding” for… Continue Reading Fractious Council quintet oversteps boundaries

At a hastily called press conference Monday afternoon, City Council President Keith King and Board of County Commissioners Chair Dennis Hisey voiced their displeasure with Mayor Steve Bach and with the City for Champions proposal, which could be endangered as a result. The two officials presented letters addressed to Mayor Bach, which he had yet… Continue Reading Leaders’ C4C divide grows

Mayor Steve Bach offered City Council an unexpected olive branch Wednesday when he appointed Wynetta Massey as city attorney and named Dan Gallagher aviation director for the Colorado Springs Airport. Both Gallagher and Massey had been serving as interim appointees. Mayor Bach has frequently declined to forward the names of interim appointees to Council to… Continue Reading Mayor’s appointments might ease city tension

It’s too bad that we can’t give politicians a mandatory timeout. We could brighten the dreary stretch of time between November and April by forbidding campaign activity of all kind — no speeches, no fundraising, no self-serving press releases, no “town hall” meetings, no partisan attacks. Alas, such is not the case. While most of… Continue Reading Election brings new torrent of themes, extremes

As this version of the Colorado Springs City Council approaches its one-year anniversary, it may be time for a quick performance assessment. It should be simple enough. At the mischievous suggestion of a prominent local businessman, we’ll use metrics generally accepted in the corporate world — those that the Council majority cited as they quizzed… Continue Reading Council – time for an early ROI assessment

The news of city Chief of Staff Laura Neumann’s resignation earlier this week stunned community leaders and elected officials alike. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding her March 1 departure, it’s not good news for the city no matter how it’s spun. Tellingly, City Councilors Jan Martin and Jill Gaebler used the same phrase in separate… Continue Reading Neumann’s departure could have lasting impact

Chief of Staff/Chief Administrative Officer Laura Neumann has resigned her position with the City of Colorado Springs, effective March 1. She will be replaced by her predecessor Steve Cox. Cox retired in 2012 after serving as Fire Chief, interim city manager, Chief of Staff and Chief of Economic Vitality. He originally began his career with… Continue Reading Neumann resigns as chief of staff, Cox returns to prior role